I very rarely find myself wanting to draw other people's characters. I always start with an odd shape or a basic idea, and eventually flesh it out into a new character. Then, naturally, build an entire world around them and get paralyzed by the sheer weight of it. Rinse, repeat etc. Some stories or worlds stick with me though. The "Song of Ice and Fire" characters are a good example. I've only watched the show, so I don't know if they're completely off base from the novels, but I get caught up in that world none the less. Another world that sticks with me is "Adventure Time"...

At any rate, here is "The Hound". He's very under utilized in the show to date, but perhaps that changes. I like the complexity of a completely ruthless killer that can befriend a lost princess and has a complete aversion to fire. I didn't stay faithfully close to the design on the show, I just sort of ran with the idea. Hope you enjoy!

Labels: A Song of Ice and Fire, fantasy, fire, Game of Thrones, The Hound

My oh my, life has been absolutely hectic this year! In the past two months, my wife and I have moved to a new town and had a baby (who is absolutely adorable by the way), along with all the craziness that surrounds those events (and more than a few crazy moments that don't). Needless to say, drawing has had to take a back burner. Now that things have calmed down ever so slightly, I want to get back into things.

For the better part of five years, for some unknown reason, I've been unable to use my tablet to its full potential. I believe the house we were in had some form of radio interference that cause the pen to jump on screen, making inking and anything other than basic Photoshop painting impossible. I was able to use the tablet on the go (i.e. at work etc), so it wasn't the hardware itself. To make a long story short, at our new house this is no longer an issue. I am now free to explore digital inking again, something I was only scratching the surface of.

The picture below started off as a test, but I liked it enough to ink and color. This was done entirely digital, roughed/colored in Photoshop and inked in Illustrator. Feedback is always welcome!

Labels: fire, flames, robot, smoke

This was just a quick idea that sort of came together. Lately I've really been trying to push the things I know I have problems with, in this case perspective. Again, I think there are some issues with this piece (although I'll probably almost always say that), but I need to keep pushing myself to get better. Any critiques or criticisms are always welcome.

Labels: fire, furnace, robots